Humor in the time of pandemic

As the world witnesses a lockdown, humor finds its way into reducing people’s miseries.

COVID-19 has already forced billions of people to isolate themselves inside their homes. Started from its epicenter, the Chinese city of Wuhan, in late December 2019, the virus claimed almost seventy thousand lives while affecting more than one million people around the globe in a span of three months.

Governments and authorities in almost every country are taking active measures to ensure public health. There is a complete ban on public spaces and all the educational and academic activities are postponed. But with the global outbreak of the virus, humor is spreading frantically too. People are using social media to sprinkle some humor. Some do it for promoting awareness while others share their quarantine experiences online.

McDonald’s is keeping a distance, why aren’t you?

(photo/facebook)

In its not-so-welcoming response to the corona outbreak, McDonald’s Brazil uploaded a photo of its logo splitting into two parts on Facebook to remind people about the importance of social distancing. This intelligent and humorous attempt by the world’s famous fast food company invoked laughter on social media.

Making the Corona Edition

(photo/Bored Panda)

(photo/Bored Panda)

We all must appreciate the famous British cartoonist, Martin Handford, who is a creator of the series of Children’s puzzle book – titled ‘Where’s Wally’. He came out with a Coronavirus edition of his book in which he focused on social distancing as crucially important for children right now.

What about our religious duties?

(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Meet Don Giuseppe Corbari, a parson from the Robbiano church of Giussano- a city in Northern Italy. He has already convinced all the devotees of the church to stay at home during the pandemic, as he was seen posing next to selfie-photos sent by worshippers.

The Corona Cop of India

(photo/twitter)

This spooky looking ‘Corona Helmet’ is a collective effort of an artist and a policeman in the city of Chennai. They collaborated to make their citizens understand the seriousness of the pandemic but with a totally different approach. In the photo, the policemen are warning people of the severity of the condition. His photos and videos also went viral on social media.

Baking awareness, not conspiracies

(AP photo/Sakchai Lalit)

In Bangkok, Thailand a restaurant offered cupcakes that depicted faces wearing masks to let people digest well what is important for them. A cute combination of humor and ingenuity.

Cricketing with Corona

Youngsters from neighboring countries India and Pakistan were spotted playing cricket on empty roads and streets, meanwhile, some used roofs or terraces of buildings after their respective governments announced the lockdown. But in an attempt keep everyone updated about the sport, Cricket Addictor was created to advise cricket fans about precautionary measures through a mixture of satire and one of the most memorable and hilarious moments in the history of cricket.

Following photos were uploaded on FB

A crucial No-ball from Champions trophy 2017 final

Indian Premier has already been postponed in the wake of the global pandemic but lets people dwell on the warm memories of the past seasons of the league.

A short but perfect warning for generations…Indeed!

Throw back to moments of ‘winning hearts.’

What does Uncle Sam want now?

(AP photo/Felipe Dana)

The famous Uncle Sam finds no harm in warning you again but this time, with the European Union flag and a face mask, he not only demands you to join the army but urges you to stay at home as well. Another poster on the walls of Barcelona, Spain is also visible. It is made by an Italian artist named Tvboy.

This Pashto animated clip on Coronavirus is a genius yet humorous plot to prove how simple it is to fight the virus as Pabo Badmash (a cartoon character) avoids bat, swords, pistols and missiles to counter the novel virus using only soap. This is what majority of medical experts want you to do.

Let’s promise to take every necessary step to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic, even if it requires us to fight it with humor. I refrain from adding further media content here because we are well aware of the perils of making a mockery out of human tragedy.

Stay safe and remember to distance yourself from fake news and misinformation.

Laughter, after all, is a much more reliable option than creating undue panic.

Dialogue Pakistan

Citizen Journalism is the collection, dissemination and analysis of news by the people for the people especially by the means of internet. Dialogue Pakistan is the country's first citizen journalism portal to provide Pakistanis an opportunity to get themselves heard aiming to encourage citizen journalism inculcated with ethical values.